Non-D1 games may be a thing of the past under Miller
MBB: Murray State's new head coach prefers not to have non-Division I teams on schedule
No matter how long you’ve been a head coach, putting together a non-conference schedule for a mid-major program is an annual struggle. For Ryan Miller, he’s having to navigate the scheduling process for the first time as a head coach at Murray State.
The Missouri Valley Conference has scheduling principles that require teams to play four Quad 1 or Quad 2 games to try to improve their strength of schedule. The Valley also allows first year head coaches to play two non-Division I games to help them acclimate to the league. Miller may appreciate that gesture, but he’s content with no non-D1 games on his schedule.
“Everybody tells me, we have to play non-D1’s,” Miller said. “I'm just opposed to it. I just want the (NCAA) NET value that you get when you play Division I teams. I think if you play the right teams that you’re supposed to (beat), and you beat them by enough points, you'll get a NET value out of that. To me, some of the Division II teams are better than some of the Division I teams that are 300-to-350 (in the NET rankings). If you play those teams 300-to-350, you better beat them by a certain amount of points, or else it hurts you.”
Nowadays, the backbone of any NCAA Tournament resume involves computer metrics. Who did you play, where did you play, and how much did you win or lose by are key elements to the multiple metrics used, including the NET ranking, to help determine the NCAA Tournament field. Miller learned that first-hand when we was an assistant at TCU.
“I remember a few years back and Texas Tech played nobody,” Miller remembered. “But they blasted everybody by 50 points in their non-conference. We had the same conference record with like three games left in the year. Texas Tech was safely in the tournament. We had a more challenging non-conference schedule and we weren't (safely in), and we had the identical conference record. I knew right then, I was like, ‘Man, that NET is really valuing offensive and defensive efficiency at a high level.’ If you can basically blast teams, they're rewarding you. Some people might say, ‘Why does Coach Miller still got his starters in there with three minutes left?’ Well, the NET is telling me that's what I need to do. Hopefully we're in those positions.”
While beating up on lower-level teams is one part of the NET equation, the other is filling your schedule with good teams, and Miller says he’s won’t shy away from the big boys.
“The way they set it up with the NET, we want to get as many Quad 1 games as we can,” Miller said. “They're almost impossible to get, obviously. (The Power-4 schools are) trying to phase us out with their MTE’s, with their bracketed events. They're not happening as much, but we're going to engage our relationships. We may get bought (by a Power-4 team) if we have to. (Murray State administrators aren’t) making me (play a guarantee game), but we may get bought just so we can have those opportunities — but that is challenging too because you have to wait. I've been doing it for so long, I know exactly what they do. They try to schedule bottom-tier teams, and then at the end of the day in August, they get stuck. They call and then you have a game available. We don't want to be that late either, because we want to know what we're going to do for our schedule. It’s a tricky game and it's a balancing act, but, for us, we want to play Quad 1 games and not-so-good teams right now.”
Another rule change that Miller will take advantage of this year will also benefit Racer fans. Teams no longer have to play exhibition games against non-Division I teams or participate in secret scrimmages against Division I opponents. Now teams can play up to two exhibitions in front of fans against other D1 teams. Miller says he plans to play one of those exhibitions at home and another one on the road.
“They were talking about doing closed scrimmages,” Miller said. “No, I don't want to do closed scrimmages. I want lights on, I want fans, I want us learning what it’s like with the spotlight on us — not only as players, but us coaches too.”
As for this year’s non-conference schedule, here’s how it looks at this moment.
TBA — Home vs. Little Rock (Back end of a home-and-home series that started in 2023-24)
November 11 — at SMU
November 23-25 — vs. McNeese, George Washington and Middle Tennessee at the Cayman Islands Classic
December 2 — vs. Morehead State
With 20 conference games, Murray State still has five non-conference games to fill to complete their slate for next season. The Missouri Valley schedule likely won’t be released until closer to September.
Thanks for the response. Sounds like mid-majors are caught in the middle.
The last few years, Murray State has played Bethel University. Can we assume those games are a thing of the past? Or are those exhibition games and don't count?